==================================
ZENIT, - Daily dispatch -
The World Seen From Rome
==================================April 02, 2005
VATICAN DOSSIER
* John Paul II Dies at 84
* "Persevere With One Heart in Prayer," Wrote John Paul II
* Pope Dies on Vigil of Divine Mercy Sunday
* Karol Józef Wojtyla, John Paul II
WORLD FEATURES
* Praying for the Pope
* Faithful Gathered to Pray With Dying Pope
* Vatican Denounces Arrests in China
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VATICAN DOSSIER
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John Paul II Dies at 84
VATICAN CITY, APRIL 2, 2005 (Zenit.org).- John Paul II died tonight in his Vatican apartment. He was 84.
"At 9:37 p.m. (2:37 p.m. EST) our Holy Father returned to the House of the Father," said Archbishop Leonardo Sandri, substitute of the Secretariat of State, announcing the Pope's death to more than 60,000 people gathered in St. Peter's Square.
The archbishop made the announcement at 10 p.m. (3 p.m. EST), immediately after the crowd had finished praying the Rosary for John Paul II.
The pilgrims intoned the "Salve Regina," which was followed by prolonged applause. Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Vatican secretary of state, began to pray the "De Profundis," in Latin and Italian.
The majority of the faithful knelt down, many of them with tears in their eyes.
A few minutes later, the bells of St. Peter's Basilica tolled the death of the Bishop of Rome.
Vatican spokesman Joaquín Navarro Valls notified the press via e-mail.
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"Persevere With One Heart in Prayer," Wrote John Paul II
VATICAN CITY, APRIL 2, 2005 (Zenit.org).- The Church is not concerned with only rules and regulations during a vacancy of the Holy See, but also with fostering a spiritual attitude.
In the apostolic constitution "Universi Dominici Gregis," promulgated in 1996, John Paul II indicated not only the rules that will regulate the vacancy of the Apostolic See and the election of a new Pope, but also the spiritual attitude with which the Church must live that period.
"During the vacancy of the Apostolic See, and above all during the time of the election of the Successor of Peter," says the text, "the Church is united in a very special way with her pastors and particularly with the cardinal electors of the supreme pontiff, and she asks God to grant her a new Pope as a gift of his goodness and providence."
John Paul II gave as the example "the first Christian community spoken of in the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 1:14)," indicating that "the universal Church, spiritually united with Mary, the Mother of Jesus, should persevere with one heart in prayer."
"Thus the election of the new Pope will not be something unconnected with the People of God and concerning the college of electors alone, but will be in a certain sense an act of the whole Church," states the document.
The Holy Father wrote: "In all cities and other places, at least the more important ones, as soon as news is received of the vacancy of the Apostolic See and, in particular, of the death of the Pope, and following the celebration of his solemn funeral rites, humble and persevering prayers are to be offered to the Lord (see Matthew 21:22; Mark 11:24), that he may enlighten the electors and make them so likeminded in their task that a speedy, harmonious and fruitful election may take place, as the salvation of souls and the good of the whole People of God demand."
The Holy Father also entrusted a mission to the cardinals over eighty years of age, enabling them to "take part in the preparatory meetings of the conclave, in conformity with the norms set forth below."
"During the vacancy of the Apostolic See, and especially during the election of the Supreme Pontiff, they in particular should lead the People of God assembled in the patriarchal basilicas of Rome and in other churches in the dioceses throughout the world, supporting the work of the electors," states the document.
The text says that the whole Church, "with fervent prayers and supplications to the Holy Spirit," should ask on behalf of the College of Cardinals the ability to "make their choice before God alone and with concern only for the 'salvation of souls, which in the Church must always be the supreme law.'"
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Pope Dies on Vigil of Divine Mercy Sunday
VATICAN CITY, APRIL 2, 2005 (Zenit.org).- John Paul II's final days coincided with the Church's preparation to celebrate the feast he described as flowing from Christ's "most profound mercy," and which he himself established.
John Paul II designated the second Sunday of Easter to be Divine Mercy Sunday in a surprise announcement at the canonization of Sister Faustina Kowalska (1905-1938). The Polish nun, beatified in 1993, and canonized in 2000, on the second Sunday of Easter, began the spiritual movement of Divine Mercy.
The feast, said the Holy Father, "is a perpetual invitation to the Christian world to address, with trust in divine benevolence, the difficulties and trials that await the human race in the coming years."
The essence of St. Faustina's mission was to proclaim God's mercy toward every human being. Her spiritual legacy to the Church is devotion to Divine Mercy, inspired by a vision in which Jesus himself asked that a painting be made of his image with the invocation "Jesus, I trust in you" appearing below. She commissioned the painting in 1935.
Cardinal Karol Wojtyla, then Archbishop of Krakow, began Sister Faustina's process of beatification.
On Aug. 17, 2003, John Paul II entrusted the world to Divine Mercy when he dedicated the new shrine of Lagiewniki, a suburb of Krakow, located next to the convent where St. Faustina Kowalska lived and died.
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Karol Józef Wojtyla, John Paul II
VATICAN CITY, APRIL 2, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Born Karol Józef Wojtyla, John Paul II left his mark occupying the third longest pontificate in the history of the Church.
Young Karol was born in Wadowice, a small city 35 miles southwest of Krakow, May 18, 1920.
The second of two sons born to Karol Wojtyla and Emilia Kaczorowska, his small family would not witness his rise to the papacy. His mother died in 1929, his brother Edmund, a doctor, died in 1932 and his father, a non-commissioned army officer, died in 1941.
He made his First Holy Communion at age 9, and was confirmed at 18. Upon graduation from high school in Wadowice in 1938, he and his father moved to Krakow where Karol entered the Jagiellonian University to study literature and philosophy.
The Nazi occupation forces closed the university in 1939, and young Karol had to work in a quarry, and then in the Solvay chemical factory to earn his living and to avoid being deported to Germany.
In 1942, aware of his call to the priesthood, he began courses in the clandestine seminary of Krakow, run by Cardinal Adam Stefan Sapieha, archbishop of Krakow. At the same time, Karol Wojtyla was one of the pioneers of the "Rhapsodic Theatre," also clandestine.
After the Second World War, he continued his studies in the major seminary of Krakow, once it had re-opened, and in the faculty of theology of the Jagiellonian University, until his priestly ordination in Krakow on Nov. 1, 1946.
Soon after, Cardinal Sapieha sent him to Rome where he worked under the guidance of the French Dominican, Garrigou-Lagrange. He finished his doctorate in theology in 1948 with a thesis on the topic of faith in the works of St. John of the Cross. At that time, during his vacations, he exercised his pastoral ministry among the Polish immigrants of France, Belgium and Holland.
In 1948, he returned to Poland and was vicar of various parishes in Krakow as well as chaplain for the university students until 1951, when he took up again his studies on philosophy and theology. In 1953, he defended a thesis on the ethical system of Max Scheler at Lublin's Catholic University.
He later he became professor of moral theology and social ethics in the major seminary of Krakow and in the Faculty of Theology of Lublin.
On July 4, 1958, he was appointed auxiliary bishop of Krakow by Pope Pius XII, and was consecrated bishop Sept. 28, 1958.
On Jan. 13, 1964, he was nominated Archbishop of Krakow by Pope Paul VI, who made him a cardinal June 26, 1967.
Besides taking part in the Second Vatican Council with an important contribution to the elaboration of the constitution "Gaudium et spes," Cardinal Wojtyla participated in all the assemblies of the Synod of Bishops.
Since the start of his pontificate Oct. 16, 1978, Pope John Paul II has completed 104 pastoral visits outside of Italy, and 146 within Italy. As Bishop of Rome he has visited 317 of the 333 parishes.
His principal documents include 14 encyclicals, 15 apostolic exhortations, 11 apostolic constitutions and 45 apostolic letters.
The Pope has also published five books: "Crossing the Threshold of Hope" (October, 1994); "Gift and Mystery: On the 50th Anniversary of My Priestly Ordination" (November, 1996); "Roman Triptych Meditations," a book of poems (March, 2003); "Rise, Let Us Be On Our Way" (May, 2004) and "Memory and Identity" (February, 2005).
John Paul II has presided at 147 beatification ceremonies, proclaiming 1,338 blesseds, and 51 canonization ceremonies, canonizing 482 saints. He has held 9 consistories in which he created 231 (+ 1 in pectore) cardinals. He has also convened six plenary meetings of the College of Cardinals.
The Holy Father has presided at 15 synods of bishops: six ordinary (1980, 1983, 1987, 1990, 1994, 2001), one extraordinary (1985) and eight special (1980, 1991, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998(2) and 1999).
His contact with people has exceeded that of any other Pope. More than 17,600,000 pilgrims have participated in the more than 1,160 General Audiences held on Wednesdays, and more than 8 million pilgrims participate in the events of the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000 alone.
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WORLD FEATURES
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Praying for the Pope
Bishops Recall Contribution Made by John Paul II
ROME, APRIL 2, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Friday's news of John Paul II's impending death sparked off an outpouring of prayers by Catholics around the world.
Churches were filled with people praying for the Pope in masses and prayer vigils on Friday and Saturday.
"When the father suffers, the children suffer," Bishop Angelo Comastri, the Pope's vicar general for Vatican City said prior to leading the rosary in St Peters Square Friday night. "When the father dies, the children kneel and pray and tell him of their affection and their gratitude," he continued, eloquently expressing the filial devotion towards John Paul II felt by many Catholics.
Also on Friday the archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, noted that prayers were being offered not only by Catholics and fellow Christians, but by "countless others who have grown to respect and admire this man, who has been in so many ways a witness and extraordinarily important moral voice for the world."
In Scotland Cardinal Keith O'Brien noted: "Catholics in Scotland and around the world continue to be inspired by Pope John Paul II as he manages to bear daily testament to the gift of life, from its first beginnings until its natural end."
Earlier today Ireland's primate, Archbishop Sean Brady, celebrated Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Armagh for the intentions of the Holy Father. He asked Catholics in Ireland to make Sunday a special day of prayer for John Paul II.
"The courage of the Holy Father in facing his current condition is an important moment in his teaching mission. Once again he reminds us of the dignity and value of human life through all its stages," stated the archbishop in comments made after the mass. "In witnessing to this message, his voice has never been stronger. We pray that God will continue to give him serenity at this difficult time."
Cuban cardinal in rare TV appearance
On Friday evening Cuban authorities permitted Cardinal Jaime Ortega, archbishop of Havana, to speak on television, to inform Cubans of the Popes state. According to Reuters it is only the second time the government has allowed Cardinal Ortega to address the population on television. The first occasion was just prior to the Pope's 1998 visit to the country.
"This is a man who has carried the moral weight of the world for 26 years ... turning himself into the only moral reference for humanity in recent years of wars and difficulties," said Havana's archbishop.
A declaration issued by Mexico's bishops commented that while during his pontificate John Paul II was noted for his linguistic ability he is now speaking in a universal language, that of suffering. "The pains and tribulations that are now part of his passion, tomorrow will be the seed of faith for the Christian world," the bishops stated.
Cardinal George Pell, archbishop of Sydney, Australia commented that the Pope, "has been a genuine man of the spirit, a true priest."
Writing in Saturday's Australian newspaper Cardinal Pell also recalled how he had been heartened and thrilled upon listening to the Popes sermon in his inaugural mass in 1978. "He has never lacked courage and courage is contagious," the cardinal added.
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Faithful Gathered to Pray With Dying Pope
ROME, APRIL 2, 2005 (Zenit.org).- John Paul II continued to attract large crowds, and receive the prayers and devotion of the faithful up to the last moments of his papacy.
Since the Pope's grave health conditions were made known Thursday, St. Peter's Square has been filled with pilgrims, especially young people, wishing to visit and pray for the Pope.
The atmosphere in the square on Friday night was one of recollection and prayer. John Paul II, fully conscious, followed the prayer vigil from his bed.
"The Pope has shown the world what Poland is, how much his country has suffered and resisted, like him and us, who do not surrender," explained a Polish woman named Agatha to ZENIT.
Agatha was accompanied by her mother, Zenobia, who came from Poland "to see, at least, the Pope's windows," her husband and four-month old daughter.
Massimo Salata, a relative of Pope John XXIII, was also in the square on Friday night with his family. "We have come here many other times; he has been a great Pope," his mother said.
Slovakian journalist Jaro Barborak, told ZENIT that "the Pope is Polish and, therefore, a Slovak, like us. We Slovaks feel he is one of our own." Barbarok said that for days the whole of Slovakia was united in prayer to support him spiritually.
Five young Carmelite nuns, who hurried to arrive on time for the Rosary, did not wish to speak because, they explained, "now silence is better."
Although there were more than 60,000 people in St. Peter's Square on Friday night, the mobile first aid unit told ZENIT that there was only one person who had needed assistance. "Everything is calm," they said, without hiding their concern for the Pope.
After the recitation of the Rosary, Polish Teresa Tyrala carried a lit candle. "This is how we pray in Poland," she said. Her eyes were fixed on the Pope's window.
For seminarian Daniel Lournguiya of the Consolata Missionaries of Kenya, "the Pope has been a good Christian because of everything he has taught with his simplicity."
The student of the Gregorian University said that the Pope has taught him "to continue working with suffering, without stopping when there are problems."
Deacon Godfrey Msumange, Consolata missionary from Tanzania, told ZENIT that he sees the Pope "as a grandfather, and for us grandfathers are the head of the family, who make use of their experience of faith and transmit it with love."
Msumange, a student of moral theology, added that "John Paul II has taught us not to be afraid to express our faith to the world."
Students gathered on Saturday in the St. Lawrence Center's church in the Vatican, to spend time in Eucharistic adoration, sing and pray.
"The Pope is the pastor of young people," said young Father Adrien Bayer of Vienna. "From the beginning of his pontificate he has encouraged young people to meet with Jesus and to enter the Church," he added.
Father Bayer, who is in Rome for three months attending Emmanuel Community's mission school, said that the "heart" of the Pope's "message has been Christ and a whole generation has received his influence."
Marie-Pierre, a young woman of Belgium's Emmanuel Community explained to ZENIT that the Pope's last words to young people were "very significant for me, and I would have liked to have told the Pope that he has been very important for us young people, as he has given his life for us."
The young Belgian was very happy to see "the presence of thousands of young people in the Square." This is "the last joy of the Pope."
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Vatican Denounces Arrests in China
VATICAN CITY, APRIL 2, 2005 (Zenit.org).- The Holy See denounced the arrest of two bishops, a priest and a layman in China.
The Vatican received "the news that on Wednesday, March 30, Reverend Thomas Zhao Kexium of the diocese of Xuanhua, in the province of Hebei, was arrested by the police as he was returning from a funeral," said spokesman Joaquín Navarro Valls today in a statement to the press.
"His whereabouts and the reason for his arrest are unknown," stated the Vatican press office.
"Also the bishop of the same diocese, Bishop Philip Peter Zhao Zhendong, 85 years old, was arrested Jan. 3, and is detained in the city of Jiangjiakow," added the text.
"On Palm Sunday, March 20, the national security forces seized Bishop James Lin Xili, 86 years old, Bishop of Wenzhou, in the province of Zhejiang. The reasons for his arrest are unknown," said Navarro Valls.
Lastly, the statement reported that "in the diocese of Wenzhou, two days later, Gao Xinyou, collaborator in the pastoral care of the laity in the Longgang area, was arrested in the same way."
Bishop Lin Xili is on the list of 18 bishops and 19 priests arrested or subjected to isolation, which was published recently by the AsiaNews agency, and which was handed to the Chinese Embassy in the United States by a representative of the U.S. Catholic bishops' conference.
He is "one of the bishops of the underground Church who have been abducted and brain-washed in alternating phases to force them to register in the Patriotic Association, the organization controlled by the Chinese Communist Party, among whose objectives is the creation of a Church independent of the Pope," explained Father Bernardo Cervellera, director of AsiaNews.
In a press conference on Friday, Liu Jianchao, spokesman of the Chinese Foreign Affairs Ministry, wished the Pope a "speedy recovery."
On Friday, Xinhua agency and the People's Newspaper, reported extensively on the Pope's health, according to sources of AsiaNews. On Saturday, however, the news disappeared from all Internet sites, television channels and newspapers.
Beijing severed its relations with the Holy See in 1951, expelling the apostolic nuncio, Archbishop Antonio Riberi.
To resume relations, China requests two conditions: That the Pope not interfere in the country's religious situation (among other things, that he not appoint bishops), and that he sever relations with Taiwan.
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ZENIT, - Daily dispatch -
The World Seen From Rome
==================================April 02, 2005
VATICAN DOSSIER
* John Paul II Dies at 84
* "Persevere With One Heart in Prayer," Wrote John Paul II
* Pope Dies on Vigil of Divine Mercy Sunday
* Karol Józef Wojtyla, John Paul II
WORLD FEATURES
* Praying for the Pope
* Faithful Gathered to Pray With Dying Pope
* Vatican Denounces Arrests in China
-------------------------------------------
VATICAN DOSSIER
-------------------------------------------
John Paul II Dies at 84
VATICAN CITY, APRIL 2, 2005 (Zenit.org).- John Paul II died tonight in his Vatican apartment. He was 84.
"At 9:37 p.m. (2:37 p.m. EST) our Holy Father returned to the House of the Father," said Archbishop Leonardo Sandri, substitute of the Secretariat of State, announcing the Pope's death to more than 60,000 people gathered in St. Peter's Square.
The archbishop made the announcement at 10 p.m. (3 p.m. EST), immediately after the crowd had finished praying the Rosary for John Paul II.
The pilgrims intoned the "Salve Regina," which was followed by prolonged applause. Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Vatican secretary of state, began to pray the "De Profundis," in Latin and Italian.
The majority of the faithful knelt down, many of them with tears in their eyes.
A few minutes later, the bells of St. Peter's Basilica tolled the death of the Bishop of Rome.
Vatican spokesman Joaquín Navarro Valls notified the press via e-mail.
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"Persevere With One Heart in Prayer," Wrote John Paul II
VATICAN CITY, APRIL 2, 2005 (Zenit.org).- The Church is not concerned with only rules and regulations during a vacancy of the Holy See, but also with fostering a spiritual attitude.
In the apostolic constitution "Universi Dominici Gregis," promulgated in 1996, John Paul II indicated not only the rules that will regulate the vacancy of the Apostolic See and the election of a new Pope, but also the spiritual attitude with which the Church must live that period.
"During the vacancy of the Apostolic See, and above all during the time of the election of the Successor of Peter," says the text, "the Church is united in a very special way with her pastors and particularly with the cardinal electors of the supreme pontiff, and she asks God to grant her a new Pope as a gift of his goodness and providence."
John Paul II gave as the example "the first Christian community spoken of in the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 1:14)," indicating that "the universal Church, spiritually united with Mary, the Mother of Jesus, should persevere with one heart in prayer."
"Thus the election of the new Pope will not be something unconnected with the People of God and concerning the college of electors alone, but will be in a certain sense an act of the whole Church," states the document.
The Holy Father wrote: "In all cities and other places, at least the more important ones, as soon as news is received of the vacancy of the Apostolic See and, in particular, of the death of the Pope, and following the celebration of his solemn funeral rites, humble and persevering prayers are to be offered to the Lord (see Matthew 21:22; Mark 11:24), that he may enlighten the electors and make them so likeminded in their task that a speedy, harmonious and fruitful election may take place, as the salvation of souls and the good of the whole People of God demand."
The Holy Father also entrusted a mission to the cardinals over eighty years of age, enabling them to "take part in the preparatory meetings of the conclave, in conformity with the norms set forth below."
"During the vacancy of the Apostolic See, and especially during the election of the Supreme Pontiff, they in particular should lead the People of God assembled in the patriarchal basilicas of Rome and in other churches in the dioceses throughout the world, supporting the work of the electors," states the document.
The text says that the whole Church, "with fervent prayers and supplications to the Holy Spirit," should ask on behalf of the College of Cardinals the ability to "make their choice before God alone and with concern only for the 'salvation of souls, which in the Church must always be the supreme law.'"
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Pope Dies on Vigil of Divine Mercy Sunday
VATICAN CITY, APRIL 2, 2005 (Zenit.org).- John Paul II's final days coincided with the Church's preparation to celebrate the feast he described as flowing from Christ's "most profound mercy," and which he himself established.
John Paul II designated the second Sunday of Easter to be Divine Mercy Sunday in a surprise announcement at the canonization of Sister Faustina Kowalska (1905-1938). The Polish nun, beatified in 1993, and canonized in 2000, on the second Sunday of Easter, began the spiritual movement of Divine Mercy.
The feast, said the Holy Father, "is a perpetual invitation to the Christian world to address, with trust in divine benevolence, the difficulties and trials that await the human race in the coming years."
The essence of St. Faustina's mission was to proclaim God's mercy toward every human being. Her spiritual legacy to the Church is devotion to Divine Mercy, inspired by a vision in which Jesus himself asked that a painting be made of his image with the invocation "Jesus, I trust in you" appearing below. She commissioned the painting in 1935.
Cardinal Karol Wojtyla, then Archbishop of Krakow, began Sister Faustina's process of beatification.
On Aug. 17, 2003, John Paul II entrusted the world to Divine Mercy when he dedicated the new shrine of Lagiewniki, a suburb of Krakow, located next to the convent where St. Faustina Kowalska lived and died.
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Karol Józef Wojtyla, John Paul II
VATICAN CITY, APRIL 2, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Born Karol Józef Wojtyla, John Paul II left his mark occupying the third longest pontificate in the history of the Church.
Young Karol was born in Wadowice, a small city 35 miles southwest of Krakow, May 18, 1920.
The second of two sons born to Karol Wojtyla and Emilia Kaczorowska, his small family would not witness his rise to the papacy. His mother died in 1929, his brother Edmund, a doctor, died in 1932 and his father, a non-commissioned army officer, died in 1941.
He made his First Holy Communion at age 9, and was confirmed at 18. Upon graduation from high school in Wadowice in 1938, he and his father moved to Krakow where Karol entered the Jagiellonian University to study literature and philosophy.
The Nazi occupation forces closed the university in 1939, and young Karol had to work in a quarry, and then in the Solvay chemical factory to earn his living and to avoid being deported to Germany.
In 1942, aware of his call to the priesthood, he began courses in the clandestine seminary of Krakow, run by Cardinal Adam Stefan Sapieha, archbishop of Krakow. At the same time, Karol Wojtyla was one of the pioneers of the "Rhapsodic Theatre," also clandestine.
After the Second World War, he continued his studies in the major seminary of Krakow, once it had re-opened, and in the faculty of theology of the Jagiellonian University, until his priestly ordination in Krakow on Nov. 1, 1946.
Soon after, Cardinal Sapieha sent him to Rome where he worked under the guidance of the French Dominican, Garrigou-Lagrange. He finished his doctorate in theology in 1948 with a thesis on the topic of faith in the works of St. John of the Cross. At that time, during his vacations, he exercised his pastoral ministry among the Polish immigrants of France, Belgium and Holland.
In 1948, he returned to Poland and was vicar of various parishes in Krakow as well as chaplain for the university students until 1951, when he took up again his studies on philosophy and theology. In 1953, he defended a thesis on the ethical system of Max Scheler at Lublin's Catholic University.
He later he became professor of moral theology and social ethics in the major seminary of Krakow and in the Faculty of Theology of Lublin.
On July 4, 1958, he was appointed auxiliary bishop of Krakow by Pope Pius XII, and was consecrated bishop Sept. 28, 1958.
On Jan. 13, 1964, he was nominated Archbishop of Krakow by Pope Paul VI, who made him a cardinal June 26, 1967.
Besides taking part in the Second Vatican Council with an important contribution to the elaboration of the constitution "Gaudium et spes," Cardinal Wojtyla participated in all the assemblies of the Synod of Bishops.
Since the start of his pontificate Oct. 16, 1978, Pope John Paul II has completed 104 pastoral visits outside of Italy, and 146 within Italy. As Bishop of Rome he has visited 317 of the 333 parishes.
His principal documents include 14 encyclicals, 15 apostolic exhortations, 11 apostolic constitutions and 45 apostolic letters.
The Pope has also published five books: "Crossing the Threshold of Hope" (October, 1994); "Gift and Mystery: On the 50th Anniversary of My Priestly Ordination" (November, 1996); "Roman Triptych Meditations," a book of poems (March, 2003); "Rise, Let Us Be On Our Way" (May, 2004) and "Memory and Identity" (February, 2005).
John Paul II has presided at 147 beatification ceremonies, proclaiming 1,338 blesseds, and 51 canonization ceremonies, canonizing 482 saints. He has held 9 consistories in which he created 231 (+ 1 in pectore) cardinals. He has also convened six plenary meetings of the College of Cardinals.
The Holy Father has presided at 15 synods of bishops: six ordinary (1980, 1983, 1987, 1990, 1994, 2001), one extraordinary (1985) and eight special (1980, 1991, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998(2) and 1999).
His contact with people has exceeded that of any other Pope. More than 17,600,000 pilgrims have participated in the more than 1,160 General Audiences held on Wednesdays, and more than 8 million pilgrims participate in the events of the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000 alone.
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WORLD FEATURES
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Praying for the Pope
Bishops Recall Contribution Made by John Paul II
ROME, APRIL 2, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Friday's news of John Paul II's impending death sparked off an outpouring of prayers by Catholics around the world.
Churches were filled with people praying for the Pope in masses and prayer vigils on Friday and Saturday.
"When the father suffers, the children suffer," Bishop Angelo Comastri, the Pope's vicar general for Vatican City said prior to leading the rosary in St Peters Square Friday night. "When the father dies, the children kneel and pray and tell him of their affection and their gratitude," he continued, eloquently expressing the filial devotion towards John Paul II felt by many Catholics.
Also on Friday the archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, noted that prayers were being offered not only by Catholics and fellow Christians, but by "countless others who have grown to respect and admire this man, who has been in so many ways a witness and extraordinarily important moral voice for the world."
In Scotland Cardinal Keith O'Brien noted: "Catholics in Scotland and around the world continue to be inspired by Pope John Paul II as he manages to bear daily testament to the gift of life, from its first beginnings until its natural end."
Earlier today Ireland's primate, Archbishop Sean Brady, celebrated Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Armagh for the intentions of the Holy Father. He asked Catholics in Ireland to make Sunday a special day of prayer for John Paul II.
"The courage of the Holy Father in facing his current condition is an important moment in his teaching mission. Once again he reminds us of the dignity and value of human life through all its stages," stated the archbishop in comments made after the mass. "In witnessing to this message, his voice has never been stronger. We pray that God will continue to give him serenity at this difficult time."
Cuban cardinal in rare TV appearance
On Friday evening Cuban authorities permitted Cardinal Jaime Ortega, archbishop of Havana, to speak on television, to inform Cubans of the Popes state. According to Reuters it is only the second time the government has allowed Cardinal Ortega to address the population on television. The first occasion was just prior to the Pope's 1998 visit to the country.
"This is a man who has carried the moral weight of the world for 26 years ... turning himself into the only moral reference for humanity in recent years of wars and difficulties," said Havana's archbishop.
A declaration issued by Mexico's bishops commented that while during his pontificate John Paul II was noted for his linguistic ability he is now speaking in a universal language, that of suffering. "The pains and tribulations that are now part of his passion, tomorrow will be the seed of faith for the Christian world," the bishops stated.
Cardinal George Pell, archbishop of Sydney, Australia commented that the Pope, "has been a genuine man of the spirit, a true priest."
Writing in Saturday's Australian newspaper Cardinal Pell also recalled how he had been heartened and thrilled upon listening to the Popes sermon in his inaugural mass in 1978. "He has never lacked courage and courage is contagious," the cardinal added.
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Faithful Gathered to Pray With Dying Pope
ROME, APRIL 2, 2005 (Zenit.org).- John Paul II continued to attract large crowds, and receive the prayers and devotion of the faithful up to the last moments of his papacy.
Since the Pope's grave health conditions were made known Thursday, St. Peter's Square has been filled with pilgrims, especially young people, wishing to visit and pray for the Pope.
The atmosphere in the square on Friday night was one of recollection and prayer. John Paul II, fully conscious, followed the prayer vigil from his bed.
"The Pope has shown the world what Poland is, how much his country has suffered and resisted, like him and us, who do not surrender," explained a Polish woman named Agatha to ZENIT.
Agatha was accompanied by her mother, Zenobia, who came from Poland "to see, at least, the Pope's windows," her husband and four-month old daughter.
Massimo Salata, a relative of Pope John XXIII, was also in the square on Friday night with his family. "We have come here many other times; he has been a great Pope," his mother said.
Slovakian journalist Jaro Barborak, told ZENIT that "the Pope is Polish and, therefore, a Slovak, like us. We Slovaks feel he is one of our own." Barbarok said that for days the whole of Slovakia was united in prayer to support him spiritually.
Five young Carmelite nuns, who hurried to arrive on time for the Rosary, did not wish to speak because, they explained, "now silence is better."
Although there were more than 60,000 people in St. Peter's Square on Friday night, the mobile first aid unit told ZENIT that there was only one person who had needed assistance. "Everything is calm," they said, without hiding their concern for the Pope.
After the recitation of the Rosary, Polish Teresa Tyrala carried a lit candle. "This is how we pray in Poland," she said. Her eyes were fixed on the Pope's window.
For seminarian Daniel Lournguiya of the Consolata Missionaries of Kenya, "the Pope has been a good Christian because of everything he has taught with his simplicity."
The student of the Gregorian University said that the Pope has taught him "to continue working with suffering, without stopping when there are problems."
Deacon Godfrey Msumange, Consolata missionary from Tanzania, told ZENIT that he sees the Pope "as a grandfather, and for us grandfathers are the head of the family, who make use of their experience of faith and transmit it with love."
Msumange, a student of moral theology, added that "John Paul II has taught us not to be afraid to express our faith to the world."
Students gathered on Saturday in the St. Lawrence Center's church in the Vatican, to spend time in Eucharistic adoration, sing and pray.
"The Pope is the pastor of young people," said young Father Adrien Bayer of Vienna. "From the beginning of his pontificate he has encouraged young people to meet with Jesus and to enter the Church," he added.
Father Bayer, who is in Rome for three months attending Emmanuel Community's mission school, said that the "heart" of the Pope's "message has been Christ and a whole generation has received his influence."
Marie-Pierre, a young woman of Belgium's Emmanuel Community explained to ZENIT that the Pope's last words to young people were "very significant for me, and I would have liked to have told the Pope that he has been very important for us young people, as he has given his life for us."
The young Belgian was very happy to see "the presence of thousands of young people in the Square." This is "the last joy of the Pope."
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Vatican Denounces Arrests in China
VATICAN CITY, APRIL 2, 2005 (Zenit.org).- The Holy See denounced the arrest of two bishops, a priest and a layman in China.
The Vatican received "the news that on Wednesday, March 30, Reverend Thomas Zhao Kexium of the diocese of Xuanhua, in the province of Hebei, was arrested by the police as he was returning from a funeral," said spokesman Joaquín Navarro Valls today in a statement to the press.
"His whereabouts and the reason for his arrest are unknown," stated the Vatican press office.
"Also the bishop of the same diocese, Bishop Philip Peter Zhao Zhendong, 85 years old, was arrested Jan. 3, and is detained in the city of Jiangjiakow," added the text.
"On Palm Sunday, March 20, the national security forces seized Bishop James Lin Xili, 86 years old, Bishop of Wenzhou, in the province of Zhejiang. The reasons for his arrest are unknown," said Navarro Valls.
Lastly, the statement reported that "in the diocese of Wenzhou, two days later, Gao Xinyou, collaborator in the pastoral care of the laity in the Longgang area, was arrested in the same way."
Bishop Lin Xili is on the list of 18 bishops and 19 priests arrested or subjected to isolation, which was published recently by the AsiaNews agency, and which was handed to the Chinese Embassy in the United States by a representative of the U.S. Catholic bishops' conference.
He is "one of the bishops of the underground Church who have been abducted and brain-washed in alternating phases to force them to register in the Patriotic Association, the organization controlled by the Chinese Communist Party, among whose objectives is the creation of a Church independent of the Pope," explained Father Bernardo Cervellera, director of AsiaNews.
In a press conference on Friday, Liu Jianchao, spokesman of the Chinese Foreign Affairs Ministry, wished the Pope a "speedy recovery."
On Friday, Xinhua agency and the People's Newspaper, reported extensively on the Pope's health, according to sources of AsiaNews. On Saturday, however, the news disappeared from all Internet sites, television channels and newspapers.
Beijing severed its relations with the Holy See in 1951, expelling the apostolic nuncio, Archbishop Antonio Riberi.
To resume relations, China requests two conditions: That the Pope not interfere in the country's religious situation (among other things, that he not appoint bishops), and that he sever relations with Taiwan.
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